Forthcoming Themes

Tribal College Journal is presently seeking feature articles addressing the themes listed below. All feature articles must involve tribal colleges in some way. Possible feature article topics are listed under each theme, but alternative topics are welcome. We seek both long features (2500-3000 words) and shorter features (2000 words).

Specific feature subjects are decided upon at least one month before the stated deadlines. Before writing an article, send the editor (editor@tribalcollegejournal.org) a brief 100-word abstract explaining your idea and how you plan to approach the topic. The journal’s thematic approach requires us to carefully plan each issue to assure an appropriate mix of articles.

Articles should focus as much as possible on a person or the people involved with the project or the program being discussed. We prefer for you to use quotations and/or anecdotes to illustrate your point. For examples of features to emulate, we recommend you consult past editions of TCJ and contact the editor to discuss topics in greater detail.

Please use only 12 point Times New Roman font with no extra formatting. All articles should follow TCJ’s in-house style guidelines, which are based on the American Psychological Association’s (APA) writing style guidelines.

Authors are responsible for submitting well-composed, high-resolution images/photographs to accompany their article. Such images should be in jpeg or TIFF format and be at least 300 dpi (or have a file size of at least 2 MB). Please consult with the editor for further details.

For more information on specific writer’s guidelines, click here. Themes and deadlines are subject to change.

SPRING 2026

Teacher Education

For decades, tribal colleges and universities have developed culturally grounded teacher education programs to prepare K-12 instructors. How do TCU teacher ed programs empower tribes, assume sovereignty over education, and provide career pathways for students? What are some of the novel pedagogical approaches of TCU teacher ed programs? What are the unique challenges that students in these programs face? In our post-pandemic world, how have distance teacher ed programs evolved and how do they remain culturally grounded?

• Deadline for feature story suggestions: September 12, 2025
• Features deadline: October 17, 2025
• On Campus featurettes deadline: October 24, 2025

SUMMER 2026

Fundraising and Resource Development

Fundraising and resource development have been critical and central elements in the success of the Tribal College Movement. In 1989, TCUs established the American Indian College Fund to lead this effort and serve as a powerful force to interface with donors. What are some of the key elements of successful fundraising and resource development? How have the College Fund and individual TCUs translated funds into effective programming, scholarships, student success, and faculty development? How have fundraising and resource development efforts evolved over the past few decades and what is the future prognosis?

• Deadline for feature story suggestions: November 7, 2025
• Features deadline: January 5, 2026
• On Campus featurettes deadline: January 9, 2026

FALL 2026

The Trust Responsibility

The trust responsibility is rooted in treaties and longstanding legal doctrines that extend back to the 1490s. It recognizes that the founding of the United States was possible only through large-scale land cessions and therefore the country has a legal and moral obligation to provide services to tribes and act in their best interest. How is education, including higher education, central to the trust responsibility? What is the legal and political history of the trust responsibility as it pertains to tribal colleges? In the current political climate, how has the trust responsibility been strained and what can TCUs do to ensure that the federal government meets its obligations?

• Deadline for feature story suggestions: February 20, 2026
• Features deadline: April 10, 2026
• On Campus featurettes deadline: April 17, 2026

WINTER 2026

Building Local Economies

Tribal colleges serve as economic drivers for local and regional communities. Studies show that they yield excellent economic returns for students and taxpayers alike. Although TCUs have never been fully funded, how have they managed to make such a deep economic impact? What are some of the cutting-edge workforce and entrepreneurial programs at TCUs and how are they benefiting their chartering tribes? How do TCUs serve rural regions even beyond the reservation?

• Deadline for feature story suggestions: April 17, 2026
• Features deadline: June 15, 2026
• On Campus featurettes deadline: June 22, 2026

SPRING 2027

Operation Student Success

Tribal colleges and universities are place-based institutions, serving students who previously had little or no access to higher education. They offer small class sizes, affordable tuition, and welcoming campuses. Most importantly, they are devoted to ensuring student success. This issue will explore how and why TCUs are so successful. How do we measure success? Why do tribal colleges have a greater success rate than mainstream institutions? What role does Indigenous culture play in student success? How do TCU graduates go on to give back to their communities?

• Deadline for feature story suggestions: September 18, 2026
• Features deadline: October 26, 2026
• On Campus featurettes deadline: October 30, 2026

SUMMER 2027

Assessment and Accreditation

The dreaded “A words,” assessment and accreditation, are central to the basic operation and success of all institutions of higher education. Sometimes, however, Indigenous values and ways of knowing collide with what can often be cold, detached, and harsh processes. How can tribal colleges improve, Indigenize, and assert sovereignty over both assessment and accreditation? What are some of the innovative strategies that TCUs have employed recently? Can and should tribal colleges develop their own accreditation agency and if so, how would it function and be implemented?

• Deadline for feature story suggestions: November 6, 2026
• Features deadline: January 4, 2027
• On Campus featurettes deadline: January 8, 2027